Portentosus Degenero
by Dixiehnsnluver
Summary: A spell makes her father act unnaturally and Ianna winds up at the Weasley's. Romance between Percy and OC...totally AU
1. The Spell Is Cast

_"Portentosus degenero!"__ A man yelled pointing a wand at an unarmed wizard. It was a dark night; a cold night that would inspire a person to walk quickly so as to get out of it sooner. Unfortunately for the unarmed wizard, and fortunately for the unnamed attacker, everyone had done just that. It was a quiet stretch of street on which the poor man was attacked. He lay on the ground staring up at the sky blankly not feeling anything until he felt the spell take hold of his mind. Then he stood up calmly dusted himself off and sent an evil grin in the direction of the attacker. The attacker grinned back then apparated away, pleased that his mission had gone of so well._

The man picked up his dropped parcel and walked on his way until he reached a small house at the end of the road. He dusted off his robes and upon passing his personal inspection, walked up to the front door and let himself in. He hung his hat on a peg, dropped his parcel off on the mail table and then walked into the kitchen where he found his wife and daughter.

"Oh, there you are, Ian" the woman said in a lilting accent while kissing his cheek. "We're nearly finished with supper." She looked at her husband's face and for a moment felt a chill run down her spine. Something was off with him. "Ianna, help your father set the table." The young girl looked up from her notebook, shook the brown hair from her eyes and stood up. 

"C'mon then, Pa. We wouldn't want to keep Ma waiting." Ianna laughed as she picked up a stack of dishes. Though they were wizards, such everyday tasks as setting the table were done by hand. Ian looked at her and a haunting look past over his features before it was replaced again. He picked up the silverware and followed the girl. The night passed without event. 

The next day, the woman, Margaret, she was called, cleaned house and fixed breakfast while she waited for her husband and daughter to wake up. As it was a Saturday, it would probably be a while. She hummed a little and tried to remember what had thrown her off last night. She was an intuitive person and knew herself well enough to trust her instincts. Now, if she could only figure out what they'd been trying to tell her. Her thoughts trailed off as her daughter wandered into the kitchen rubbing at her eyes.

"Good morning, Ianna. Breakfast is already on the table. Help yourself," she said as she continued rearranging the flowers. Ianna nodded while yawning and trudged into the kitchen. 

Ianna grabbed a muffin and went back upstairs to change. She set her muffin down, quickly changed then grabbed the muffin and a book for a day of reading on the roof. She was walking down the hallway when her dad appeared out of a doorway.

"Good morning, Pa." She said happily. 

"Don't good morning me." He growled and grabbed her hair. She shrieked in surprise and dropped her book and muffin. He drug her into the room and threw her against the wall. He was muttering. "You thought…wouldn't find out….news for you." Ianna cowered on the floor wondering what was wrong with her father. Then suddenly she was jerked to her feet. His hands closed around her neck and banged her head into the wall. There was an evil look in his eyes and a grin on his face. The man before her was no longer her father, but some evil demon that had taken his place. As stars started to dance in front of her eyes, she barely noticed the door swing open. Her mother stood in the doorway and used her wand to fling Ian aside. She grabbed Ianna and they apparated away. 

"Come on child. We've no time ta be wastin'." She said as they landed in a random field. "I didna have time to grab all your things. I was verra lucky indeed to get this." She handed her a suitcase. "I'm sending ya to me friend Arthur Weasley. His family will take you in until I figure out exactly what's wrong with your father. Give him this note and this money bag. I love you." She then handed her a port key and she wondered briefly how her mom could have prearranged transport before the world was yanked from beneath her feet. 

Ianna was deposited outside a slightly run-down house. Upon seeing no other buildings in sight, she walked up to the door and knocked. A lady with bright red hair came to the door. She curiously examined Ianna and then gasped when she saw her neck.

"I'm to give these to a Mr. Arthur Weasley and ask if I can stay awhile." Ianna said handing her the note and money bag. She was quickly ushered into a room and made to sit on a couch while the woman ran off, presumably to look for Mr. Weasley. Ianna didn't care because as soon as she sat down, she passed out. What a day.

A/N: originally, this was going to be a fluffy Ron/OC fic. Then plot reared its head (as it so often doesn't) and suddenly my characters were screaming it had to be Percy. And so I started yet another fic. Good lord, do I have commitment issues? Actual Percy scenes coming next chapter. I'm off. 

Another A/N: According to the following definitions, the spell, _Portentosus degenero, means (or at least it does to me, the poor child that slept through her one year of Latin) to become in a bad way unnatural. If it doesn't, then Latin isn't very cool anyways, is it? J/K_

Degenero -are intransitive. [to **become** unlike one's kind , to fall off, go bad, degenerate]; transit. [to cause to degenerate, or disgrace by degeneracy]. 

portentosus -a -um [extraordinary , monstrous, **unnatural**].

Def. thanks to: http://www.nd.edu/~archives/latgramm.htm


	2. Meet The Family

_She was quickly ushered into a room and made to sit on a couch while the woman ran off, presumably to look for Mr. Weasley. Ianna didn't care because as soon as she sat down, she passed out. What a day._

"This way Arthur," Mrs. Weasley said as she led her husband into the sitting room. "She's in here." Arthur Weasley had read the note and immediately wanted to see the girl. Imagine the daughter of his best friend. He had only seen her once before the family had moved away.  When they walked in he was startled to see the girl, Ianna was her name, out cold on the couch. With a gasp he ran to her and dropped to his knees. Upon finding a pulse he let out a sigh of relief. 

"Ianna, honey, I need you to get up…" Arthur said pushing the hair off her face. 'By Merlin, she looks exactly like Maggie.' Arthur thought. "Ianna…" The girl's eyes opened and looked around blearily. The world was slow to come into focus, and when it did the first thing Ianna felt was pain. She let out a small groan then focused on the man squatting beside her.

"Allo," She said. "Will you be Arthur Weasley, then?"  Arthur smiled and Ianna was surprised to see unshed tears sparkling in his eyes.

"That's me." The woman in the doorway made a small noise. "You've already met my wife, Molly." He slapped his head. "Oh, you'll have to meet my kids." He smiled and stood up. "KIDS! GET DOWN HERE!" he yelled. His excitement made Ianna smile and almost made her forget the happenings of today. Her smile wavered when what sounded to be a wild herd of hippogriffs thundering down the stairs. Soon the smile was back and she was standing when she saw it was just the kids Mr. Weasley had been referring too. A lot of kids had he, too. All of them had bright red hair. Arthur's wife stepped up beside her and led her to stand in front of the line of kids.

"Children, this is Ianna. Her mother is a friend of your father. She'll be staying with us a while." Mrs. Weasley turned to her. "Ianna, this is Fred and George. They're twins and practical jokers. Don't eat anything they give you. This is Virginia, or Ginny. You'll be rooming with her. This is Ron. And this is Percy." Ianna nodded at each one noticing that the one on the end looked to be closest her age. 

"Thank you for letting me stay here Mr. Weasley. My mother sends her regards and says that she loved the picture you sent." Ianna groaned inwardly she hadn't exactly said that, but hey. She'd seen these people before in a photo, so she might as well throw it in for good effect. Her throat throbbed and she could almost count the bruises from the pain each was radiating. She raised her hand to the back of her head and gingerly felt around until she felt a huge knot. "Oh, Merlin!" she exclaimed as her vision danced. "Note to self: don't touch your bruises." At that Molly Weasley jumped to attention. She made Ianna sit down while she tended to her bruises. The children all excused themselves. Fred and George went off to play Quidditch with Ron, Ginny went to her room to make room for the newest addition, and Percy went to work on something for the Ministry of Magic.

"Percy works for the ministry?" Ianna asked of Mr.Weasley who was staring at her with fond memories in his eyes. 

"Oh, yes. Quite a hard-worker, he is. Perhaps you may find common ground to talk about. I heard that you love to research things." Mr. Weasley said with pride. Ianna nodded then winced as the bandage Mrs. Weasley was attaching to her head yanked a few hairs. After five minutes more of healing and silence, Ianna was finally declared fit to walk up to her new room. She bent down to grab her suitcase but Mrs. Weasley would have none of it. 

"Boys, one of you come help Ianna with her luggage!" She called up the stairs. A chorus of voices followed saying that they couldn't but finally a reluctant thumping was heard coming down the stairs. 

"Mum, I really haven't the time for this…" Percy stated as he easily lifted the bag and started up the stairs. Ianna hurried after him.

"Don't worry about it, will ya. I'll take it. Sorry for disturbin' your work." Ianna said trying to grab her bag. Percy blocked her easily. 

"I was just complaining. I'll be happy to take your bag for you." He smiled then and Ianna was stunned at the…friendliness conveyed in it. 

"Thank you then. I'll owe you a favor." Ianna said and followed him to Ginny's room. He knocked on the door then sat the bag down. He nodded his head in farewell and walked a short ways down the hall and into a room. She put a smile on her face as she heard the door being opened and turned to meet her roomie. 


	3. Food and Playtime

_She put a smile on her face as she heard the door being opened and turned to meet her roomie._

            "Hi, I'm Ginny." The young red-head said. Ianna grinned.

            "Well, ya already know what my name is, don'tcha?" Ginny laughed and nodded. Ianna had made her accent outrageously stressed to the point it was amusing. Ianna grinned again and talked normally this time. "Where do I sleep?" Ginny pointed to a cot in the corner. Ianna went over and placed her suitcase on top of it. "Is there a place I can put my clothes?"

            "I cleaned out the top two drawers of my dresser for you. You can use those." Ginny said and pointed to the beat up dresser in the corner. The girl seemed a bit embarrassed by the condition of her things. 

            "This is a lovely dresser. Handmade is it? I want one for my room," Ianna commented as she moved her clothes to the dresser. Ginny looked at the older girl shocked but then shook her head and sat down on her bed. 

            "How long will you be staying here?" Ginny asked playing with a hole in her well-loved bedspread. Ianna paused and remembered the look on her father's face.

            "Probably for a while," Ianna answered resuming her task. "You'll probably hear all the details about what happened later, but let's just say my father...went…crazy. And they have to make him better. Until then, I'm here." Ginny just nodded and the room lapsed into silence. Fifteen minutes later the silence was broken by Ianna's stomach growling. Ianna looked at her stomach then back up at Ginny. "I never did eat breakfast."

            "Well, it must be almost time for lunch. We can go down and grab a snack or lunch if it's ready." Ginny suggested leading the way out the door. Ianna followed her and the wonderful smells to the cramped kitchen. Almost all the guys had crowded in and sat down and the rest shortly followed Ginny and Ianna. Everyone but Ianna sat down. She didn't quite know where to sit and after everyone had sat down, it appeared there wouldn't be a choice in the matter. There weren't any seats left. The family started to eat until Percy looked up. 

            "Oh… Mum, where should Ianna sit?" he questioned. Mrs. Weasley looked up and flushed. 

            "Oh, dear. I forgot about you!" She stood up and bustled over to her. She pointed to the bench on the opposite side. "I'm sure if Percy and the twins squeeze in you can sit there. There's a plate already there for you." Ianna nodded and sat down in the newly made space. She ate quickly and quietly and didn't protest when Mrs. Weasley insisted that ALL the children go out in the back yard. She accompanied the rest out there. Ron, Fred, and George restarted their Quidditch game while Ginny sat down to get a tan, just out of the shadows of a tall tree. Ianna opted for sitting under the tree and using the trunk to prop her up. She watched as Percy tried to write a report while sitting in a lawn chair. It was quite a funny site. Ianna chuckled and mumbled, "Does he always work?"

            Ginny heard and answered, "Yes, he loves his job. He's quite obsessed with it. It's not good for him. It will lead to no good, my mum says." Ianna was instantly thrown back to a conversation between her mom and a neighbor.

            "Ian is becoming obsessed with his work. I don't think it's healthy. One of these days something bad will happen, you mark my words…" Her mom had said. If only her mom had known how true that statement was. Ianna mused on until she noticed the sky getting dark. Then she noticed that everybody but Ginny and Percy had gone inside. 

            "Hey, Gin, what time is it?" she asked. "Gin?" the younger girl didn't move. Ianna stood up and confirmed that she was asleep. She softly padded over to Percy. "Um…excuse me…" Percy looked up. "Your sister is asleep…what should I do?" Percy looked over and visually confirmed her statement. 

            "Go have a bite to eat. I'll bring her in." Ianna nodded and walked inside. She was immediately handed a plate and ushered to the table. After she finished eating, she rushed up to Ginny's room to see the younger girl asleep and in her bed. Ianna smiled and got in her PJ's. Still smiling she slipped under her covers and fell asleep. What an interesting family. 

A/N: Well, nobody but me and my bud-DIES like this story, but I don't care. I'm gonna post it anyway…. : )


	4. Of Cookies and Milk, Dreams and Nightmar...

Chapter 4: Of Cookies and Milk, Dreams and Nightmares

            Ianna was dreaming. She stood in a gray cement hall. Frantic footsteps echoed off the walls and suddenly her father rounded a corner at the far end. She knew then what would happen. Ianna had seen this dream many times before and she braced herself for what was to come. Her father, Ian, was too focused on reaching his destination to see or hear the hooded figure come around the same corner. He didn't hear the curse until it was too late. The sheaves of paper fell from his grasp and her father writhed on the floor, his screams of pain echoing as the Death Eater's footsteps had mere seconds before. Somehow through the pain and the curse, her father found the strength to apparate back to his office.

            Ianna knew what happened then. As an unspeakable, being seen meant no more job. His memory had been modified. He had been given a random inferior job. They had escorted him home. She now stood in the living room of her home, watching as they explained what had happened. They assumed that Ianna and her mother knew nothing of Ian's activities. How could they have known? Neither Ianna nor her mother had been thinking clearly enough to tell them. It didn't occur to them that knowing could hurt. The ministry officials left later without knowing.

            Suddenly, she was seeing her father being tortured. He screamed and tears rolled down his face. He was apparated away to be found in the lobby of the ministry building. That was where history stopped and nightmare began. Ianna was put in his place. Pain rolled in waves through her body and she screamed in an inhuman way. She was drawn away from the nightmare by someone's hand on her shoulder. Ianna quickly realized she was still dream-screaming and shut her mouth, swallowing hard. She took a couple cleansing breaths and looked to her side. There, framed by the light of his wand, stood Percy.

            "Follow me," he whispered. Ianna slipped her feet into her slippers, wrapped her housecoat around her pajamas, and then followed him to his room. He closed the door softly after she walked in. "Have a seat," he gestured towards a chair by a small table. On the table sat two glasses of milk and some cookies. Ianna sat down and looked questionably at the food. "My mom always gave us milk and cookies after we had a bad dream. I figured I might extend the tradition towards you." Ianna picked up a glass, took a sip, and then cleared her throat.

            "I'm sorry I woke you up." She said looking at him. 

            "I wasn't asleep. I'm trying to finish my reports. Mom wants me to have the weekend free." Percy said and Ianna could tell that it would be hard for him to spend two days without something concrete to do. "Do you want to talk about it?" He offered as he sat down at his desk.

            "No. That would make it worse." Ianna shook her head. "Can I just sit here for a minute or two?" she asked. Percy nodded then turned back to his work. She nibbled on a cookie then leant her head back against the wall. Her eyes were starting to droop when Percy turned around and saw her jerk her head up and open her eyes. As he watched she closed her eye again then opened them. She seemed to be fighting off sleep. He chuckled a bit. It was a funny site.

            "Why won't you sleep?" he asked. Ianna jumped and looked at him.

            "Nightmares…" she yawned. "They always come back."

            He nodded then turned to his bookcase that stood near the desk. He randomly selected one of his favorites and handed it to her. "Perhaps, you would rather read."

            Ianna took the book and smiled. "One of my favorites," she said as she opened it. 

            "Oh, no," Percy cautioned. "Don't read there. My mom has a spell on my room. The lighting is only suitable for reading by my bed. If a book is read anywhere else, an alarm in her room will go off." Ianna quickly closed the book. She looked at his bed then back at him. "Go ahead. I won't be sleeping tonite anyway" he said. Ianna sat down on the bed and started to read. Halfway through the book she fell asleep, her head resting on a pillow Percy had gotten for being Head Boy at Hogwarts. 'Ah, those were the days' he thought as he turned back to his work.

A/N: I know my mom wishes she had a spell like that. She always walks in and yells at me about the lighting when I'm reading. Thought I'd throw in some…I dunno…real stuff in there. I'm off.


	5. Fireplaces and Floo

_Ianna sat down on the bed and started to read. Halfway through the book she fell asleep, her head resting on a pillow Percy had gotten for being Head Boy at Hogwarts._

Chapter 5: Fireplaces and Floo

            Sometime early morning, must have been around 6 AM, Arthur Weasley burst into Percy's room. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found Ianna lying peacefully on Percy's bed. When he had stopped by Ginny's room on the way to work and found Ianna not there, he had gone on a rampage, opening all the doors to all the rooms looking for her. Ianna stirred slightly in her sleep and Arthur smiled. The girl was safe, now to see about the mother. He walked downstairs, grabbed a piece of toast and apparated away. 

            45 minutes later Percy woke up. He looked towards the bed and saw that Ianna was still there. "Ianna," he called. The girl merely stirred. "Ianna! It's time to get up." He said a little louder. Ianna rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. Upon seeing nothing familiar, she bolted upright. She took a deep breath and calmed down as her brain woke up enough to remind her where she was. Her eyes focused on Percy's face. 

            "Good morning." She said her accent a slight husky due to lack of use while sleeping. She cleared her throat then tried again. "Good morning, how did you sleep?" She noticed he was still in the chair. "I'm sorry I took your bed." Percy shrugged.

            "I wouldn't have used it anyway." He said with a smile. He stood up and stretched while running his hands through his hair. "I think it's time for breakfast. Will you accompany me downstairs?" He opened the door and gestured out into the hall. Ianna laughed and stood up. She "gracefully floated" over to the door and curtsied. 

            "I'd be delighted, milord," she laughed and bounded out into the hall. They made their way to the kitchen, joined on the way by Ginny and Ron. Molly Weasley had made a feast of a breakfast. It didn't seem to bother anyone that they were getting up at such an early hour. In fact, it seemed almost like a tradition. She yawned as she ate. The rest of the day was spent lounging outside. She almost learned how to play Quidditch (her mother had been adamantly against violent broomstick games). At about 7 PM, Mr. Weasley came home. They all ate a lovely dinner and retired to do evening wind-down activities. Ianna wound up in the family room, reading the book she hadn't finished the night before. She had just turned the page when a hissing sound came from the fire. She looked up and saw her father standing before her. She gasped and stood up, her hand going to her pocket for her wand. Belatedly she realized she didn't have her wand with her. It was still in the suitcase in Ginny's room. She backed around the couch and stood near the door. Her father fixed his eyes on her….no, the evil thing inside him fixed its eyes on her. It grinned and slowly began to advance. She screamed and tried to open the door. She could hear it getting closer. 

            So many things seemed to happen at once. The door burst open and Percy, Molly, and Arthur all came flying in. Three men came hurdling through the fireplace. Her father fainted when one of the fireplace men pointed his wand at her father. One of the three men looked up at them and gasped. 

            "Percy? Arthur?" the man stuttered. He turned pale then quickly recovered. "I'm s-sorry about this disturbance. We'll be out of here in a minute. We'll make sure you're blocked by floo next time." The man nodded at the other two and they hefted her father and flooed away. Ianna collapsed to the ground and cried. Molly and Arthur looked at each other. Percy bent down and put a hand on Ianna's shoulder. 

            "C'mon let's get you to bed." He said they walked out, leaving his parents to their worried mumblings. They walked up the stairs until they reached Ginny's room. Ianna mumbled a good night and walked into Ginny's room. Ginny had fallen asleep with the light on. Percy turned it off as he walked back downstairs.

            "What was Burns doing with the criminally insane unit?" Percy asked as he walked in. His father didn't know, and neither did he. Whatever the reason, something bizarre was brewing in the Ministry. They spent an hour or so discussing the possibilities, but in the end they were no closer to a theory then they were in the beginning. Percy suggested Dumbledore be told then walked upstairs to his bedroom. He found Ianna asleep on his bed with her hands wrapped around his second pillow. He sighed and went to the bed. He didn't have the energy to move her. He would just sleep next to her. He gently removed the pillow from her arms and propped his head on it. Percy closed his eyes, but opened them again when her arms wound up around him. He relaxed slightly and put one arm around her. He could blame it on a dream in the morning. For right now he was glad for her warmth. It helped distract him from the threat of Voldemort and his followers. She snuggled close to him, and he was reminded of the last time he had spent with Penelope. 

            She had broken up with him the week before. Now two weeks before graduation, she had come to him crying. She told him that she didn't like not talking to him and if they could just end seventh year as friends, she would be happy. He had agreed. They spent the night in one of the forgotten rooms of Hogwarts, curled up on a sofa. They talked and caught up and reminisced about old times. She had fallen asleep against him in much the same fashion as Ianna was now. His eyes teared as he thought of his Hogwarts days, but he closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep. Tomorrow, he would go to the office and question Burns. That is, if his mother allowed him too.  Sometimes it was hard having an overprotective mother. It was, he thought, better perchance then having a crazy father, though.

A/N: I've been having dreams about this story, but can't ever remember them when I wake up. This was the gist of my latest fevered dream. It made more sense when I filled in details then it did in my sick-dream. *Sick as in feverish and coughing, not the other definition. ;) 


	6. New Robes and A Need For Information

_Sometimes it was hard having an overprotective mother. It was, he [Percy] thought, better perchance then having a crazy father, though._

            Chapter 6: New Robes and A Need For Information

            Ianna awoke in the morning to find herself wrapped in the arms of Percy. She stiffened for a moment but then relaxed. At least it was comfortable. She decided very quickly that she didn't want to be the first one to move, so she closed her eyes and willed herself to go back to sleep. Just as she was about to drift off again, Percy stirred. She slowed her breathing and pretended to be asleep. She wanted to know what he would do. 

            Percy removed his arms from around her and then carefully brushed a piece of hair away from her face. She looked too peaceful to wake up. He'd let her have at least another hour of serenity before bringing her back into the hectic life she was now a part of. He carefully got up, changed his robes, and wandered downstairs. Ianna waited about five minutes before sitting up and stretching. She stared at the wall for a minute, letting her mind remember everything and giving herself time to adjust to the feelings the memories brought her. After a flood of feelings, she glared at the wall. Ianna didn't like not knowing what was going on. She vowed to herself she was going to find out soon. Perhaps Percy would be the best bet. She stood up and plotted her plan of action. Still plotting, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen. She sat down next to Fred and started to eat, listening to the conversation going on around her. 

            "I'm going into the office today." Percy commented as he grabbed a piece of toast. There was her chance! Now how was she to use it to get some information about her dad?

            "Mum, can we go window shopping today? I'm tired of hanging around the house…" Ginny whined. Molly Weasley looked at her daughter in thought for a moment.

            "I- I would love to go, too." Ianna threw in. At least they might be out. Perhaps…well, people always gossiped, didn't they? Even if she didn't find anything out, it would get her out in the world and make her feel less a prisoner of her circumstances. Mrs. Weasley looked at her then nodded. 

            "Percy can chaperone." She cut off his protest. "You can take them to the office, they can wait while you complete your business and then you can take them window shopping. It'll be good for you all to get out of the house." She gave Percy that motherly glare that said no protesting and continued to eat. When Ginny and Ianna finished, Ginny dragged her up to their room.

            "Where were you last night?" Ginny asked looking at her with a twinkle in her eye while she grabbed a nicer pair of robes to wear. 

            "I fell asleep in Percy's room. He has a nice bed that he hardly uses. Did you know that he sleeps in his desk chair?" Ianna said as she slipped a emerald colored robe on. She turned and looked at Ginny's frayed robe then back at her robes. "Hey, Ginny…This navy coloured robe doesn't look good on me anymore. Do you think you can wear it? I don't want it to sit there in my closet forever." She tossed the robe to Ginny. The younger girl put it on and twirled in front of the mirror.

            "It's beautiful! Can I keep it?" she asked. Ianna nodded. Ginny hugged her tightly and dashed out of the room, presumably to tell her mom and show off. Ianna carefully pulled back her hair and slipped on some shoes before following. She made sure she had her wand to aid any eavesdropping she might find herself doing.

A/N: Took me long enough eh? And it isn't even all that long or eventful. Oh, well. Off for now. ~ KtDiD


	7. Envelope Warning Filler Chapter

_She made sure she had her wand to aid any eavesdropping she might find herself doing._

Chapter 7: Eavesdropping and the File

            Ginny, Ianna, and Percy flooed in to his work. After procuring guest passes for Ginny and Ianna, they took the stairs to his office. Ianna was impressed. Percy must have been high up in the chain of command because his office was huge and filled with employee of the month plaques. She gasped as she looked at the desk. It was a beautiful cherry wood. She sighed with longing. She had always had a thing for desks. 

            "Okay, you guys stay in here while I go find…someone." Percy said rearranging a stack of paper and then walking out the door. Thinking quickly, Ianna said, "I'm going to go find a bathroom. I think I saw one down the hall. It might take me awhile. I saw one of my dad's coworkers I want to chat with. If Perce comes back tell him where I am, k?" Ginny gaped as the door closed then closed her mouth. She shrugged and walked to Percy's big comfortable chair. It might be a long day.

            Ianna quickly followed Percy down the hall. She hid behind a tree when she saw Percy go into Burns' office. He was the man that had come to help take her father away last night! Why did Percy want to talk to him? Well, whatever it was they were talking about, they had both walked out and were well on their way down the hall. She didn't want to risk the open stretch of hallway between her and them and instead chose to snoop about Burns' office. He didn't have a big office…nor was it as neat as Percy's. On his desk there were many files. She smiled wickedly. Easy snooping this was to be. She carefully rummaged through the files and gasped when she came upon a plain manila envelope with her father's name on it. She picked it up and was about to open it when she heard footsteps come down the hall. Quickly she stuffed it inside her robes and ran out into the hallway. The man Burns was almost within hearing range of her and he was certainly close enough to see where she had come from. She quickly said something about looking for a bathroom then ran off in the direction of Percy's office.

            When she reached it she saw Percy storming out followed by Ginny. When he saw her, his expression lightened. "Where were you?" he said lightly grabbing her arm.

            "He was worried." Ginny announced winking in her direction. Ianna giggled nervously. 

            "I saw one of my dad's friends and I was saying hello. Sorry I worried you. Can we go window shopping now?" Ianna asked speeding her walk towards the steps. Percy and Ginny quickly followed. They walked out onto the street and stopped at the first shop they saw. It was a formal robe shop. Percy volunteered to go across the street and get drinks for them while Ginny and Ianna looked around. Ginny was looking at a particular black formal robe with silky fabric.

            "Try it on!" Ianna said. Ginny protested weakly but followed Ianna back to the dressing rooms. She came out and Ianna clapped her hands. Ginny was truly stunning in the robe and Ianna was happy to supply Ginny with it. Ginny went back in the dressing room to change. "Hey, Ginny...Hand me the robe. I'll go put it up while you get dressed." Ianna grabbed the robe over the door and ran to the cash register. Quickly she handed the clerk enough money for the dress and delivery then gave the guy the address for the dress to be flooed to. She wrote out a note to pin to the dress so that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wouldn't freak out when they saw it. Ianna had just finished and the clerk had just gone back into the back when Ginny reappeared. They walked to the front and met Percy at the door. Ginny feeling discouraged about their lack of money asked to go home and Ianna agreed. She wanted to hide Ginny's gift and read the contents of the manila envelope. They all went back to Percy's office building. Ianna saw Burns out of the corner of her eye as she was the last to floo out. She hoped he wouldn't have noticed his missing file. 

            When they reached the house, Ginny went outside to find Fred and George while Ianna got the dress from Mrs. Weasley who was very concerned about what the dress was for. "It's a gift. For Ginny" Ianna kept insisting. Finally she got permission to give it to her on her birthday. That meant she had to hide it for three weeks. She went to Percy's room to talk to him about it. Temporarily forgetting about the envelope. 


	8. Percy Finds The Envelope Filler again

Degenero 8

            "Percy?" Ianna called knocking at his door. "May I come in?" She opened the door without waiting for his confirmation. And blushed when she found him shirtless. "Oops...sorry!" she turned around quickly and brought a hand to her eyes. Okay he wasn't buff, but he wasn't unfortunate looking either. Lifting all those defected cauldrons in the first year of his job at the Ministry had been beneficial.

"No, no, Ianna! It's completely my fault!" Percy said, hastily putting a shirt on. "Do come in."

"Are you decent?" Ianna asked, her eyes still covered with her hands and her back to Percy.

"Please Ianna; you're acting as if I were walking around completely naked in here." Percy answered sounding rather mortified at the idea. There was a moment of silence as Ianna waited for an answer to her question.

"Yes Ianna... I am decent." Percy finally answered her. She slowly removed her hands from her eyes and began to cautiously turn around. She hoped to God that Percy wasn't playing a trick like the tricks the twins seemed to like playing. Then again, she didn't truly know Percy Weasley. She let out a sigh of relief as she turned around to find a fully clothed and rather indifferent Percy Weasley. 

Ianna cleared her throat. "I was…wondering…Could I hide this in here until Ginny's birthday, or at least until I go home?" Ianna asked holding up the dress robe as she closed the door behind her. Percy glanced incredulously at the package then up at Ianna's hopeful face. 

"Sure, okay," Percy sighed and motioned to his wardrobe. Ianna squealed and put the dress robe in the wardrobe. 

"Thanks, Perce!" she squealed again hugging him. "You're top o' the line!"  Percy made an amused sound and moved back to his desk. Ianna laughed and stood in front of Percy. "No working, that's too dull. C'mon…let's go…um…play a game or something. It'll be fun." Ianna said. Percy shrugged and turned to walk towards the door. Ianna started to follow but tripped over the desk leg. Percy caught her around the middle and helped her to stand up. He looked at the envelope that had fallen on the ground then back up at Ianna. 

"What is this, Ianna?" he asked frowning. 

… Given by Jen McD. Thanks Muchly, my marfy badger. May the Marf be with you!

Next installment comes out…sometime….?


	9. The Envelope's Contents Revealed

Portentous Degenero

Chapter 9: The Envelope

            Percy stooped to pick up the fallen envelope. Confused he glanced at its label then back at Ianna. "Where did you get this Ianna?" Ianna looked at the ground.

            "I found it. I wanted to know what was in it." Ianna mumbled. Percy would more than likely lecture her about the importance of a ministry official's desk and the contents upon it. Ianna knew her father would have done the same…before all this mess. She just wanted to know why Burns had had a file on her dad. It had to mean something, right? 

            "Where'd you find it?" Percy interrogated looking at her closely. One didn't just "find" files in a ministry office. They had to be looked for, or given to a person. How Ianna had come across this file was beyond him.

            "On Burns' desk…I snuck it out while you were talking to him." Ianna waited for the lecture. Instead she found that only silence fell upon her ears. She looked up to find Percy moving towards his desk and opening the envelope. He pulled out the pages and started to read them. 

            "These are documentations of all your Dad's previous cases. Mostly undercover work it seems. How did Burns get this information?" Percy asked quietly going towards all of the paper. Ianna looked at all the papers. The terminology confused her, and some were encoded. But Percy was right it did cover all of her Dad's missions…or at least all of them that she had been aware of. Something hit Ianna.

            "Perhaps…"she said as she thought. " _Aparecium_!" Ianna pointed her wand at the papers. Instantly hand written notes appeared in the margins. Percy quickly began to read over them. 

            "No…" Percy whispered in disbelief. He reread the notes. "This can't….We have to talk to my dad NOW." Percy said grabbing the files and running out the door to downstairs. An owl and some apparating later, Arthur was gasping sitting in the kitchen looking at Percy.

            "Would you like to explain what I'm doing here, son?" Arthur asked. It wasn't like Percy to interrupt a work day like this and when Arthur had seen the Come Home ASAP note from Percy he had dropped everything only to find there seemed to be no emergency. Percy set some files infront of him.

            "Read these." Percy said and sat down next to him at the table. Ianna stood to the side confused. She didn't know what was going on. Hopefully someone would tell her soon. Arthur read two pages. He started sputtering and reaching for a piece of parchment and a quill. Dumbledore had to be notified. Something had to be done and quickly.

A/N: Well, this was….interesting to type. More coming soon….Or as soon as my work schedule will allow.

Aparecium- makes invisible ink visible ~ thanks to Harry Potter Lexicon


	10. Discoveries and Numbness

Chapter 10: Discoveries and Numbness

"Internal Affairs will have to be notified" Arthur said placing his quill on the parchment. However, he found himself at a loss for words. "I… We must consult with Dumbledore on this. Percy… tell your mother where I've gone." And with that he was gone.

"What did the papers say?" Ianna followed the pacing Percy. "Why would Dumbledore need to be informed? Isn't he simply a headmaster of a school?"

"Dumbledore has more influence than the Minister himself I believe. Ianna… the papers put Burns in a hot bed of trouble." Percy ran a hand through his hair and sat in the seat his father had just vacated. "In these files, Burns shows inside knowledge of how both sides reacted, knowledge that he could only have if he were playing for both sides. If he is indeed a double agent, then him working with your father now is more than a little suspicious- it's alarming."

"So your father is going to meet with Dumbledore to see what should be done- I assume meaning there will be plans to get that bastard away from my father." Ianna said standing in front of Percy.

"Of course Ianna! My father, Dumbledore, _I _would never allow this activity to continue on. We just...have to find the most effective way of halting it without letting anybody on the other side know what we do." All the fight seemed to go out of Ianna with these words; she just deflated. "For now though, we must go and tell my mother where father has gone and we've got to eat some dinner." Ianna allowed Percy to lead her into the kitchen where Molly bustled about making dinner.

"Oh, Percy, Ianna… could you set the table? Dinner is almost ready." Molly said barely sparing them a glance before returning to her work. Ianna started gathering utensils to set the table with, needing something to do to keep her mind off of the recent discoveries. Percy cornered his mom in the farthest part of the kitchen from Ianna and the table.

"Mom… there's been a situation. Dad went to visit Dumbledore…" Ianna only tuned in to hear a little of the whispered conversation before returning to the mindless chore at hand. Ianna finished laying out the placesettings then sat and stared out the window. She flinched a little when Percy sat beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. She heard Molly go outside and watched as she had a word with the other children before they all came trooping back in for dinner. The meal passed on without Ianna sparing a single thought for the food she was ingesting. Her only thoughts lay with her father and the man who surely had betrayed him.

A/N: So, it's been awhile since I last updated. And by a while, I of course mean...er…two years? There is no excuse. Honestly, I have no idea why I haven't updated this. I do have some sort of a plot written own where I can easily get to it. I guess it is a matter of filling in the inbetween spots. As always, reviews, comments, suggestions, flames…all are accepted with an open mind.


End file.
